DOJ

BRIEF: Son convicted in shocking NYC murder-for-hire conspiracy over family real estate business
Briefs, DOJ, News, Top Stories, US News

BRIEF: Son convicted in shocking NYC murder-for-hire conspiracy over family real estate business

A federal jury in Brooklyn on Wednesday convicted Anthony Zottola, Sr. and Himen Ross of murder-for-hire conspiracy and murder-for-hire in the Oct. 4, 2018 killing of Sylvestor Zottola, 71, according to a DOJ press release. Bushawn Shelton, an additional co-conspirator, pleaded guilty to the same charges in August. The elder Zottola was killed as he waited for a cup of coffee at a McDonald's drive-thru in the Bronx. “Over the course of more than a year, the elderly victim, Sylvester Zottola, was stalked, beaten, and stabbed, never knowing who orchestrated the attacks.  It was his own son, who was so determined to control the family’s lucrative real estate business that he hired a gang of hit men to murder his father,” said US Attorney Breon Peace. The release goes on to include th...
BRIEF: former Tucson insurance agent sentenced for ‘elder fraud’
Arizona News, Briefs, DOJ, News, Top Stories, US News

BRIEF: former Tucson insurance agent sentenced for ‘elder fraud’

The DOJ announced Wednesday that Tucsonan Koreasa Maria Williams, 47, was sentenced on Sept. 30 after defrauding an 80-year-old client of over $1 million. Williams then used those funds in an effort to avoid criminal charges stemming from a previous annuity fraud scheme she was running. Williams' sentence includes 136 months in prison and requires restitution to be paid to her victims. This sentence will run concurrently with a 51-month sentence for her earlier annuity fraud scheme. More details are available in the full press release from the DOJ.